USA formalizes 25% tariff on products from Brazil The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) confirmed this Thursday (15) the imposition of a 25% tariff on part of Brazilian imports, starting on July 22nd. Despite yet another trade barrier between the countries, Brazil and the US already lived with a fragmented tariff scenario, which led to the loss of R$13.28 billion in exports to the US in 2025. Since last year, charges have been divided into three groups: 46% do not pay additional surcharges; 25% are subject to a general tariff of 10%; and 29%, mainly steel, aluminum and copper products, already face specific tariffs of up to 50% under Section 232 of the Commercial Expansion Act of 1962. A survey by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) shows that, as a consequence of the tariffs that were already in force, 20 of the 27 units of the Federation reduced their exports to the USA in the first half of 2026, compared to the same period of the previous year. Effect of tariffs in 20 states Percentage-wise, total exports fell 13%. The retraction was driven by the 8.7% drop in sales of industrial goods, especially semi-manufactured iron and steel products, raw cast iron, chemical pulp from non-coniferous wood, petroleum oils and semi-manufactured products from other steel alloys. Despite this, the North American country remained the main export destination for the Brazilian manufacturing industry. See which of the 50 Brazilian products most exported to the USA will pay the new 25% tariff New tariffs will worsen an already bad scenario The new announcement tends to worsen a situation that was already unfavorable. The CNI states that the surcharge increases insecurity for companies in both countries and intensifies pressure on Brazilian exports. According to the entity's president, Ricardo Alban, "in light of today's announcement, the scenario tends to worsen, further eroding the competitiveness of Brazilian industry. We cannot spare efforts to reverse this logic and resume the relationship that Brazil and the USA have built", he states. According to the USTR itself, the measure was adopted by order of President Donald Trump after concluding that Brazilian policies and practices would be "unreasonable" and restrict North American trade. The US says the surcharge seeks to "level the playing field" to protect US farmers, workers, businesses and innovators. The Federation of Industries of the State of Minas Gerais (FIEMG) also expressed concern about the American decision. In a note, the entity assessed that the additional 25% tariff increases the costs of accessing the United States market and threatens the competitiveness of Brazilian products. According to FIEMG, the effective impact will depend on the list of products affected, the tariff classification of each commodity and the treatment granted to competitors from other countries. The federation also warned of possible effects such as replacement of Brazilian suppliers, reduction of profit margins and renegotiation of commercial contracts. Is there a possibility of another rate? In addition to this measure, the American government is also conducting another commercial investigation that could result in the application of an additional tariff of 12.5% ??on Brazilian products. The charge, planned for 60 economies, is justified by Washington's assessment that these nations did not adopt measures considered sufficient to prevent the circulation of products manufactured with forced labor. Learn more about 25% rates. Meat, orange juice and coffee are free of charge; sugar, ethanol and agricultural machinery subject to new tariffs g1 The impact of the Reciprocity Law The Brazilian government intends to analyze the final list of affected products to define the next steps, including the continuity of negotiations or the possible adoption of measures provided for in the Economic Reciprocity Law, which allows responding to trade barriers imposed by other countries. In the opinion of Marcelo Bassani, economist and founding partner of Boa Brasil Capital, the American government's decision is not surprising, as negotiations between the two countries had been taking place for months without much progress. The economist assesses that any retaliation could increase the cost of products and inputs imported from the United States, further putting pressure on Brazilian inflation, which is currently above the target ceiling projected by the Central Bank. According to him, this movement could cause a chain effect, keeping interest rates high for longer and reducing the pace of economic activity. "At the end of the day, the end consumer ends up paying for this, because the products will become more expensive," he says. Bassani also notes that in the short term, it is difficult to replace American suppliers, which limits companies' ability to absorb the impact of the new tariffs. Although products such as meat, coffee and items from the aeronautical industry were left out of the new round of tariffs, thousands of other goods are expected to suffer price increases, with part of this cost being absorbed by companies and part passed on to the consumer, explains Gabriel Eisner, partner at Mhydas Planning Financeiro. READ MORE Trade balance has a surplus of US$9.8 billion in June, an increase of 66% compared to last year